Summer Bird Feeding
Think about how different summer bird feeding is from the winter feeding: Certainly, different birds are on hand, and even the same species may look different during the 2 seasons, like American Goldfinches for example (photos by Paul Konrad).
Summer is a good time to try to specialize on attracting birds that may not be around past September. Starting with keeping fresh water in one or more birdbaths in your yard, it’s nice to provide an all-inclusive feeding station that welcomes a variety of birds, and summer is the best time to emphasize certain foods as the nesting season winds down and fledglings become more a part of the neighborhood mix. We tend to focus on such seasonal species as orioles and hummingbirds, as well as goldfinches, woodpeckers, and the occasional nuthatch; but this year robins have become the dominant birds – utilizing grape jelly even more than orioles – as are House Finches.
Do what works best for you: Our summer feeding efforts center on providing grape jelly for 2 species of orioles, catbirds, robins; a rare tanager or warbler, and an occasional grosbeak during spring and fall migrations. Sugar-water nectar for hummingbirds is also a daily resource we provide in season. Of course, keep your nectar feeders clean and your nectar fresh, as nesting and post-nesting hummingbirds search for a reliable nectar source. Even if you only attracted these exciting birds to nectar feeders during spring migration, after nesting more adults and new fledglings will likely bring even more hummingbird action to your nectar feeder in July, continuing through September. Read more
If you were out on the water last year, you might have noticed something interesting: crews with nets and measuring boards, catching and documenting fish. In 2025, Michigan Department of Natural Resources fisheries management units completed more than 350 fisheries surveys across the state. Staff completed 225 surveys of inland lakes and 127 surveys of streams.